Flavor enhancing composition for foodstuffs

ABSTRACT

An edible composition consisting essentially of salt, hydrolyzed soy and corn proteins, beef flavor and onion flavor has been found to enhance the flavor of foodstuffs in a way similar to monosodium glutamate.

United States Patent 1 Mc Sweeney et all Nov. 6, 1973 [54] FLAVOR ENHANCING COMPOSITION FOR FOODSTUFFS [75] Inventors: Daniel Robert McSweeney,

Lombard; John Richard Kandl, Chicago, both of 111.

[73] Assignee: General Foods Corporation, White Plains, NY.

22 Filed: Sept. 20, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 182,216

[52] U.S. Cl 426/212, 99/14, 99/100,

[51] Int. Cl A231 1/26 [58] Field of Search 99/14, 16, 17, 18, 99/22, 140,145, 110, 140 R; 260/529 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1948 Murata 99/145 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 9,440 1909 Great Britain Primary Examiner-Morris O. Wolk Assistant ExaminerSidney Marantz AttorneyBruno P. Struzzi et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT An edible composition consisting essentially of salt, hydrolyzed soy and corn proteins, beef flavor and onion flavor has been found to enhance the flavor of foodstuffs in a way similar to monosodium glutamate.

5 Claims, No Drawings FLAVOR ENHANCING COMPOSITION FOR FOODSTUFFS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION an edible composition, consisting essentially of, by

weight, 45 percent to 55 percent hydrolyzed corn protein, 35 to 45 percent salt, 1 to 7 percent hydrolyzed soy protein, 1 to 5 percent beef flavor and 1 to 5 percent onion flavor will enhance the flavor of foodstuffs or food seasoning agents in a manner similar to MSG.

The enhancer of this invention works particularly well on meats and vegetables. The hydrolyzed proteins of corn and soy are commercially available under various tradenames; e.g., Vegamine V-84 as the corn protein and I-lMD 1545 as the soy protein. Beef flavor is an essential constituent and acts in combination with the salt, onion and proteins to give the flavor enhancing effect. The beef flavor may be beef extract or various combinations of ingredients which yield a beef-like fla- EXAMPLE 1 A base mix for coating pork chops prior to baking them was prepared as below for a taste-test panel of 100 persons. One mix was prepared using 5.96% MSG and another mix was prepared without MSG using an identical amount of the flavor enhancing composition of this invention, as follows:

Flavor Enhancer Composition Hydrolyzed Corn protein 51.1 hydrolyzed Soy Protein 3.4 Salt 40.0 Beef Flavor 3.5 Onion Powder 2.0 Coating Mix Composition Cereal Fines 52.32 Modified Starch 13.81 Wheat Flour 12.15

Salt

Shortening 6.07 Seasoning 1.95 Color 0.29 Enhancer (Mix No. 1) 5.96 MSG (Mix No. 2) 100.00

Raw pork chops were coated, one batch with Mix No. l and another batch with Mix No. 2, for sampling by the panel. The coated chops were baked at 400F. unitl done. The coating mix is so formulated as to yield a tender, juicy meat product which retains as much of its natural flavor as possible during baking. The MSG in Mix No. 2 and the enhancer of Mix No. l and this invention, were then evaluated on the strength of their ability to yield a tasty meat product. Each panel member tasted prok chops coated with Mix No. 1 and chops coated with Mix No. 2. 56% of the panel preferred the meat coated with Mix No. 1 and the enhancer of this invention. This result indicates, at least, that the enhancer of this invention functions to heighten food flavor in a way similar to MSG, the most widely used enhancer.

EXAMPLE II Two nearly identical sirloin steaks were broiled until medium-cooked, one steak having been sprinkled with 2.7 grams per pound of steak of the flavor-enhancing composition of Example I, and the other with an identical amount of -MSG. It was observed that the former steak possessed as good if not better a beef flavor as the steak salted with MSG.

Other ingredients may be added to our enhancer composition to improve appearance or physical functionality, such as trace amounts of powdered silicon dioxide to improve flowability of the powdered enhancer composition, color, etc.; no ingredient can be added to it, however, which possesses any significant flavor aspects on its own. The essential ingredients are as described above.

, We claim:

1'. A food flavor-enhancing composition which consists essentially of, by weight, 45 to 55 percent hydrolyzed corn protein, 35 to 45 percent salt, 1 to 7 percent hydrolyzed soy protein, 1 to 5 percent beef flavor, and 1 to 5 percent onion flavor.

2. A foodstuff comprising fish and an amount of the food flavor-enhancing composition of claim 1.

3. A foodstuff comprising a vegetable and an amount of the food flavor-enhancing composition of claim 1.

4. A foodstuff comprising meat and an amount of the.

food flavor-enhancing composition of claim 1.

5. The foodstuff of claim 4 where the meat is selected from the group consisting of pork, beef and poultry. 

2. A foodstuff comprising fish and an amount of the food flavor-enhancing composition of claim
 1. 3. A foodstuff comprising a vegetable and an amount of the food flavor-enhancing composition of claim
 1. 4. A foodstuff comprising meat and an amount of the food flavor-enhancing composition of claim
 1. 5. The foodstuff of claim 4 where the meat is selected from the group consisting of pork, beef and poultry. 